257 viewsResearchers prepare their snowmobiles during the 2013 Arctic Observing Network (Snownet) field project in Alaska's North Slope.

257 viewsA researcher's winter gloves provide a sense of scale to sastrugi, sharp irregular grooves or ridges formed on a snow surface by wind erosion, seen during the 2013 Arctic Observing Network (Snownet) project.

257 viewsNina Brudermann releasing one of her balloons into the sky; each balloon has an insulated video camera attached.
Photo Credit: Courtesy Ted Scambos, NSIDC

permafrost, nsidc, kevin schaefer, alaska, barrow256 viewsKevin Schaefer walks along the road to a next survey site near Barrow Alaska on August 11, 2013. Contrary to what the sign says, the effective speed limit was actually 5 mph (Credit: Elchin Jafarov, NSIDC).

256 viewsTingjun Zhang, Alessio Gusmeroli, Lin Liu, and Tim Schaefer check gear before starting a new survey of active layer depth using ground penetrating radar on August 16, 2012. Zhang holds the radar controller while the yellow antenna rests at his feet next to a spool of survey line. (Credit: Kevin Schaefer, NSIDC)

256 viewsLin Liu pulls a ground penetrating radar unit through the tundra near Barrow, Alaska on to measure the active layer depth. The radar unit (in the box) emits a pulse which reflects off the permafrost to measure the active layer depth, which is recorded in the computer held by Andy Parsekian. (Credit: Kevin Schaefer, NSIDC)

256 viewsA close-up of my tent. Inside my tent were bags with all of my gear and a small cot with two sleeping bags.
Photo by John Maurer, CIRES/NSIDC, University of Colorado.

255 viewsA leaning weather station that has slowly started to melt out of the ice in recent years. We have snow-mobiled here (a one-hour trip) to steam-drill a new 6-meter (20-foot) hole and secure the station into it. Photo by John Maurer, CIRES/NSIDC, University of Colorado.